Laboratory simulations of Martian gullies on sand dunes

• Published in: Geophysical Research Letters
• Main Authors: Védie, Emeric, Costard, F., Font, Marianne, Lagarde, Jean-Louis
• Other Authors: Morphodynamique Continentale et Côtière (M2C), Université de Caen Normandie (UNICAEN), Normandie Université (NU)-Normandie Université (NU)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université de Rouen Normandie (UNIROUEN), Normandie Université (NU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Géosciences Paris Sud (GEOPS), Université Paris-Sud - Paris 11 (UP11)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2008
• Subjects: [SDU.STU.GM]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Geomorphology; [SDU.STU.GP]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Geophysics [physics.geo-ph]; Active layer thickness; Ice; permafrost
• Online Access: https://normandie-univ.hal.science/hal-01735572; https://normandie-univ.hal.science/hal-01735572/document; https://normandie-univ.hal.science/hal-01735572/file/2008GL035638.pdf; https://doi.org/10.1029/2008GL035638

International audience Small gullies, observed on Mars, could be formed by groundwater seepage from an underground aquifer or may result from the melting of near-surface ground ice at high obliquity. To test these different hypotheses, a cold room-based laboratory simulation has been performed. The experimental slope was designed to simulate debris flows on sand dune slopes at a range of angles, different granulometry and permafrost characteristics. Preliminary results suggest that the typical morphology of gullies observed on Mars can best be reproduced by the formation of linear debris flows related to the melting of a near-surface ground ice with silty materials. This physical modelling highlights the role of the periglacial conditions, especially the active-layer thickness during debris-flow formation.